We Are Social: Playing with stereotypes in stories works well for HSBC

February 16, 2017

A man uses his phone to make sure he can pay for dinner on a first date. That’s an advertising scenario you’d not expect would set HSBC Bank and its Fast Balance feature apart. And yet it does, because We Are Social attended to the details. The man is 87. He’s dapper, full of personality and digitally savvy. Director, Sunny Bahia has captured the tiny moments that enrich the parts of the story that captivate – taking a chance on love.

Of course, if the world was working properly, we wouldn’t be surprised by an 87 year old who is either digitally savvy or taking a chance on love. But sometimes stereotypes work hard in advertising when creatives use them in interesting ways, and this is one of those times.

We Are Social has managed to convey the message that HSBC Fast Balance is a great plus for anyone to have, in way that every viewer is likely to remember.

The campaign includes a second story – of a cyclist on a charity bike ride shortly. He finds the boost he needs to keep him going when he checks how much money he has raised using his HSBC Fast Balance.

The hero films have been released on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, supported with a comprehensive digital strategy. People who show an interest in the films will be shown shorter, 20 second films which feature HSBC’s different digital banking products, including Touch ID, Apple Pay and Voice ID. The agency has also created a series of GIFs to highlight the bank’s products and services. These will be shared directly with consumers who have interacted with the other parts of the campaign.